News network CNN apparently wants to see things and events clearly as they unfold through a glass, as it is now inviting Google Glass users to become citizen journalists to its iReport segment.
The segment is for amateur journalists who submit interesting stories and videos captured while out in the streets. It is said to have paved the way to citizen journalism for many years now.
The announcement came in a blog post of CNN on May 7.
"We launched a new feature that invites you to share photos and videos with CNN directly from Google Glass," writes Katie Hawkins-Gaar, the CNN iReport editor.
The network also says iReport is part of the trend in wearable technology, which is why taking onboard Glassholes is of no exception. Though many other news agencies are accepting story and video submissions from its citizens, this project makes CNN the first-ever major news network to let its audience and readers contribute their videos and stories, such as breaking news and events, directly through the Google Glass device.
Hawkins-Gaar explains that Glassholes can start contributing to CNN as citizen journalists by authorizing the news network to send notifications to their device. Upon completion, the contributors can manage their settings, such as linking up their iReport profile. The "CNN iReport" phrase will eventually appear as a sharing option for the photos and videos captured by the wearable device.
Some say the Glass device could be an effective tool to capture significant stories exactly as they happen based on a first-person perspective. The process of verifying the future Glass-based iReports, however, is in question.
"Before any iReport is approved for CNN, it goes through a strict verification process. We have a team of iReport producers dedicated to just that," Hawkins-Gaar says in an email to ZDNet.
Meanwhile, some people think this project could help boost the reputation of the Google Glass device, which is tainted by controversies since its inception. Recall that some Glassholes were reported to have met disconcerting circumstances along the way, such as getting banned and robbed, among other things. There's also the big question of critics on privacy, on how much of another person's life is captured and is exposed out there.
Apparently, such controversy is not stopping CNN to pursue its Glass-based citizen journalism project. Yet given the restricted number of Google Glass owners as of the moment, iReport is limited to citizen journalists based in the US. The collaborative project with Glassholes is seen to help the news network learn and experiment things, such as if its own professional reporters could also use the wearable device.
